Harvard Professor and Librarian, Emeritus, Robert Darnton presents the French Revolution

Wednesday, December 13, 2023 From 6:30 PM To 8:00 AM Add to Calendar 2023-12-13 18:30:00 2023-12-13 08:00:00 Harvard Professor and Librarian, Emeritus, Robert Darnton presents the French Revolution Join us for a fascinating jump in time as internationally acclaimed historian Robert Darnton presents his latest book, The Revolution Temper, Paris, 1748-1789. Analyzing underground information streams that flowed through 18th-century Paris, Robert Darnton will unveil a new perspective on the reasons and motives that kickstarted the French Revolution. The French Library, 53 Marlborough St, Boston, Massachusetts, United States America/New_York

At The French Library Get Directions

Join us for a fascinating jump in time as internationally acclaimed historian Robert Darnton presents his latest book, The Revolution Temper, Paris, 1748-1789.
Darnton and Ann Blair, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor of Harvard, will explore the French Revolution through the lens of the Parisians and their collective consciousness at the time. Analyzing underground information streams that flowed through 18th-century Paris, Robert Darnton will unveil a new perspective on the reasons and motives that kickstarted the French Revolution.

Our author's talk will be followed by a Q&A session, with book signing/selling and a glass of wine.

Member

$18

Non-member

$25

About Robert Darnton

Robert Darnton is Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and University Librarian, Emeritus, at Harvard University. He is the author of many acclaimed, widely translated works in French history that have won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. A scholar of global stature, he is a Chevalier in the Légion d’honneur and winner of the National Humanities Medal. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About the book

A groundbreaking account of the coming of the French Revolution from a historian of worldwide acclaim.
When a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille in July 1789, it triggered an event of global consequence: the overthrow of the monarchy and the birth of a new society. Most historians account for the French Revolution by viewing it in retrospect as the outcome of underlying conditions such as a faltering economy, social tensions, or the influence of Enlightenment thought. But what did Parisians themselves think they were doing—how did they understand their world? What were the motivations and aspirations that guided their actions? In this dazzling history, Robert Darnton addresses these questions by drawing on decades of close study to conjure a past as vivid as today’s news. He explores eighteenth-century Paris as an information society much like our own, its news circuits centered in cafés, on park benches, and under the Palais-Royal’s Tree of Cracow.

Darnton’s authority and sure judgment enable readers to confidently navigate the passions and complexities of controversies over court politics, Church doctrine, and the economy. And his compact, luminous prose creates an immersive reading experience. Here is a riveting narrative that succeeds in making the past a living presence.

Upcoming Events

See All Upcoming Events

Social & Community

Le club des lecteurs : Jean Rouaud

In-person, Indoor Event in French

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Join us at the French Library for a conversation about Les champs d'honneur by Jean Rouaud. We invite you to read the book in its entirety and meet us on April 29th, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

Performing Arts & Screenings

Soie: Behind the Curtain

In partnership with the French Theater Project

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Join us at the French Library for an exclusive preview of Soie, the stage adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s celebrated novel, to be performed May 1–3, 2026 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts.

Social & Community

La Pause Café with Café Joyeux

Friday, May 1, 2026

Join us for a special edition of "La Pause Café” where Café Joyeux will brew their specialty coffee while you practice your French, immerse yourself in stimulating conversations, and make new friends.

See All